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By Shari Bayer for Fathom | I spent a gazillion dollars dining by myself in Spain. Okay, maybe I didn't spend THAT much, but it was a lot. And it was fabulous and worth every penny. As a restaurant publicist, I travel for food, and San Sebastián ("Donostia" in local Basque parlance) has been high on my destination list for some time. Only rather than wait for a friend or guy to venture to Spain with, I decided to go on another solo travel adventure.

To prove how serious I am about food, I made two of the restaurant reservations before I even booked my flights or hotels. Although traveling to Europe in November is a bit off-season, I didn't want to risk it. There would be a table for one waiting for me.

Using reward miles, I flew into Madrid from New York City and back from Barcelona. I spent a few days in Madrid exploring the city, sampling the tapas at places like Estado Puro and La Casa del Abuelo, and dining at the oldest restaurant in the world (Restaurante Botin, founded in 1725.)

Then I flew to Bilbao, where I rented a car to drive to San Sebastián, first making a pit stop at Museo Guggenheim Bilbao. I arrived in San Sebastián at sunset and saw that the Basque city on the Bay of La Concha was as beautiful as I had imagined.

Before I began my fine dining marathon, I met up with my friend Kevin Patricio, who lives in San Sebastián, for a night of pintxos hopping. What a treat! From pig's ears to sardines, we shared the region's most delicious delicacies at budget-friendly prices. Thanks, Kevin!

It was time for the marathon to begin. Four days. Six restaurants. Thirteen Michelin stars.

This is what ice shreds and scarlet shrimp perfume looks like. All photos by Shari Bayer.

The GPS directions took me down a dark, windy road to chef Andoni Luis Aduriz's three-Michelin-star Mugaritz, currently rated #6 on San Pellegrino's The World's 50 Best Restaurants. When I arrived, I was escorted to a quaint lounge in a separate building for a cocktail. I was so excited to be there. After I was seated for dinner, I was offered a kitchen tour, where I chatted with the chef de cuisine. The kitchen was as gorgeous as I had anticipated, almost in contrast with the understated and minimalist dining room, where only half the space was used for service.

Dinner consisted of more than 25 small plates, each more unique than the next. From edible stones to ice shreds and scarlet shrimp perfume to glass sugar and cocoa as a cookie. It was molecular gastronomy at its finest. Some plates were better than others, but overall I was mesmerized by the innovation. And the service was terrific. The meal ended with a dessert called The Seven Sins. Gluttony was my favorite. (Of course.)

Vegetable hearts salad.

The next day, I made my way to Restaurante Martín Berasategui (three Michelin stars; #35 on San Pellegrino's list). I arrived at 1 p.m., an hour that is early for Spaniards, and was the only one in the dining room. The space is serene and overlooks rolling green hills. I felt like I was eating in someone's elegant home. This made sense when I learned that chef Berasategui lives upstairs.

I was especially eager to dine here because a former client, a very talented chef, had worked for Berasategui many years ago. My anticipation was rewarded: Lunch was phenomenal. My server guided me through the menu, which listed the year each dish was created, and he designed a small tasting menu that began with a beautiful vegetable hearts salad (2001), followed by roast red mullet with crystals of edible scales (2013), and roasted pigeon with Iberian pig's snout (2013.) Dessert was vanilla apple pie (1995) — fitting, since it was Thanksgiving Day. My attentive server gave me a kitchen tour and brought me a copy of Le Grandes Tables Du Monde, a book featuring the best gourmet restaurants in the world. It was a gift of kindness for a solo diner.

There was no snacking before dinner, as next up was Restaurante Arzak famous seat of chef Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena (three Michelin stars; #8 in the world). From my seat at a corner table in the modest dining room, I could watch the room and the charming Juan Mari as he greeted every table, making every guest feel so welcome. The staff was warm and friendly, and the tasting menu was — wow! I was particularly fascinated by fish steak with potatoes served over a tablet video screen of ocean waves with sound. A memorable meal and innovative meal topped off with a two-part dessert finale: The super truffle — cocoa and sugar that melted with the addition of chocolate liquid — and Ferreteria Arzak, aka the chocolate toolbox. The kind maître d', who previously worked in NYC, showed me around the kitchen before I left.